


Perspective

by NintendoGal55



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Abridged Universe, Blow Jobs, Boners, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Feefshipping, Feelings, Getting Together, Healing, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Making Out, Male Slash, Masturbation in Shower, Shower Sex, Tenderness, Thiefshipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:28:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27123208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NintendoGal55/pseuds/NintendoGal55
Summary: Taking place during Little Kuriboh's "Marik and Bakura Go To Censored Town" fanfic but from Marik's perspective. The realization that Bakura loves him ignites Marik's own feelings and his plan to make them known and then some.
Relationships: Yami Bakura/Marik Ishtar
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12





	Perspective

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This has been an idea I've mulled over for quite some time and I'm glad to present it to you. I absolutely love LK's Thiefshipping fanfics, the one this story is based on is no different. Love it so much! It's an incredibly emotional journey, has funny moments, and just filled with Thiefshipping goodness. I always wondered, what was going on in Marik's head this entire time? It would be so interesting to see that!
> 
> Someone once wrote a brief passage based on this that takes place shortly after Bakura's attempted departure from Marik's perspective. I can't remember who did it, sadly, but it was interesting. They'd also mentioned the idea of doing the shower scene from Marik's perspective, but had decided not to. Now of course I respect their decision, don't worry. I just felt, wow, that could have been a thing? 
> 
> And so I took it upon myself to bring this notion into action! I had intention to write that scene and maybe a bit of cuddles afterward. However, it evolved and here you have this mess! I wanted to add some more interaction between them that happened before the start of chapter eight and this all came to be! I wanted them to cuddle, to enjoy each other's presence, and so forth.
> 
> I also didn't include too much dialogue from the fanfic just to kind of be on the safe side and I didn't want to upset anyone. I did originally have the dialogue from when Marik came to in chapter six, but then nixed it since I already had a lot of it from the shower scene. Maybe I'll have a bonus thingamabob at some point to show what COULD have been, maybe?
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this! It was quite a challenge, but fun to do. I hope it's close to being in-character for them. I can't top LK himself, but I will do my best to present them as believably as possible.
> 
> All credit for the fanfic, dialogue and its ideas go to Little Kuriboh.

* * *

Coming back from being taken over by Melvin was _never_ a good feeling. It always left Marik confused, terrified, pained, and a whole myriad of too many emotions to process. In all, he hated it. This was most especially when he had the Melvin Dreams and he'd find himself in Bakura's room, near his bed, and sometimes holding a knife he didn't already drop to the floor.

He sometimes had nightmares of coming into Bakura's room, calling for him to get up, only to find him dead on the bed. Usually stabbed to death, bloodied, and occasionally dismembered. Sometimes it was with a knife, other times it was the bladed end of the Millenium Rod. The corpse left behind wouldn't even be in the visage of his host, Ryou, it would still be locked on Bakura completely. His dead, lifeless brown eyes staring blankly at him and with blood dripping from his mouth. A horrific, heartbreaking sight that always drove Dream Marik into hysterics and crying.

Sometimes there would be messages written in Bakura's blood, either on the walls, the sheets, or worse, on his person. He'd sometimes find carvings on Bakura's back resembling the scars on his own. Those disgusting, hateful markings he'd carried for years now marring the pale, flawless back of his best friend was too much to think of. All of these nightmares indicated that it was Melvin who killed him. There was no doubt about it.

He would often wake up from those nightmares, his face drenched in tears, and his entire body trembling. It would lead him to run off to Bakura's room, just to check that he was still alive. Thankfully, every time he did confirmed he was fine. Sometimes Bakura would be fast asleep, his chest rising and falling with each breath. Other times he was awake for some reason and would ask what he was doing. There were even instances where Marik found Bakura's room empty and would launch into a panic to try finding him. Only for Bakura to emerge from another room, sometimes with a cup of tea in hand, and asking him why he was spazzing out.

Today was different.

At first, Marik felt pain inflicted on him, but couldn't see or hear anything from his soul room. He felt the tip of the Millennium Rod having made cuts on his person, then brutally stabbing. It made him scream in pure agony within his soul room as the pain seared through him violently.

Then he heard something. Bakura's voice pleading for Melvin not to hurt Marik but to kill him instead. Melvin taunted him about wishful thinking of them being _together._ Bakura argued back that no, what they had was unbreakable and he wouldn't let anyone get in the way of it. No matter how much he hated the feelings he held.

It was sickening in so, so many ways. Within his soul room, shoved away in his mind, Marik could only listen helplessly. He hadn't seen what happened, but had a feeling that Melvin had hurt Bakura badly.

Melvin continued to taunt Bakura, forcing him to say what was on his mind before he'd end it all. Within himself, Marik pleaded for Melvin to stop and spare his best friend. His only friend. But the inner cries fell on deaf ears. No, he couldn't bear to watch Bakura die. By what was practically his own hand. Seeing him leave was bad enough.

But there was nothing he could do. Fighting for control against Melvin was impossible. All he could do was hear everything. This was happening. He was going to watch his only friend be killed by his darker half. No mercy of being shoved away from seeing, hearing and feeling everything. Right after Bakura came back to him and, in his own way, made it clear he felt bad for what he'd done and wanted to make up for it. But he'd been powerless to stop Melvin from taking over in his emotional state. It had been horrific, as Melvin had taken the opportunity to lie in wait for the right moment to strike.

“Marik,” Bakura said, his voice struggling.

He wasn't sure what he expected Bakura to say. Maybe an apology, which would have been great. Sure, he'd make small apologies like if he accidentally spat on him while talking or if he dropped something or startled him. Although this would be different, right?

But what came out of his mouth was not something he was prepared for. The words were so strange and unlike anything he'd said before.

Yet, there was nothing insincere about them.

“I love you.”

The words flooded into his mind and filled his ears like a beautiful song. Everything was making sense. He could see so, so many things that had once flown over his head or made him repress. Hearing those words from Bakura's lips was nothing short of wonderful and a big hit to the face with a sign of realization.

A flow of energy and strength coursed through his body, reaching him, and Marik felt it. All of it. He could feel Melvin's hold weakening, his voice was screaming loudly, and his hands grabbing at his head. While Marik wanted to rejoice in the beautiful feeling and what he knew from it, he had to regain control first. Melvin was persistent, crawling at the ground and trying to seek out the Millennium Rod from where it ended up. The words, the sentiment, were far too powerful. Moreso than even Marik thought they would have been.

Maybe he had to give credit to Yugi and his friends for that whole Power of Friendship (or love) belief. It seemed to be true.

Usually, gaining control of his body wasn't easy, but this time, being able to shove Melvin deep into the recesses of his mind felt less like a struggle. It made sense, he was the embodiment of Marik's repressed hatred and resentment of his father, where all the good feelings of life could never reach him.

Marik pushed himself hard among all the pain his body was experiencing from his hand and chest wounds. He could actually feel himself fully and like his body was going to collapse. But it didn't matter, since he was back. He knew he could move his limbs if he had the energy, feel and see everything clearly and not as a spectator in his own mind.

He eventually succumbed to the pain and everything went dark.

* * *

Of course Marik had no idea how long it had been, but he was finally coming to. His body wasn't flat on the floor aymore, though. He was being... held? Yes, it felt like that. But how? By what?

A sound reached his ears.

It was a weird sound he never heard before, at least not outside of a movie or a show. But as he came to, his hearing cleared, there was no imagining it. The breathy noises were unmistakable sound of someone crying.

Marik opened his eyes, to which he saw a blur of darkness and then white at the forefront. He blinked them a few times, focusing his vision, and what he saw was equally as alien as hearing Bakura saying he loved him.

Bakura was _crying_. He'd been the source of the crying. All while holding him tenderly, cradling him, their chests pressed together.

The sight and the sound were so completely unlike him and yet he was witnessing it before his eyes. Bakura _never_ cried. Not in the time Marik knew him and he had little reason to doubt he ever cried outside of five thousand years ago. Not even during a sad movie like the death of Artax in _The Neverending Story_. He just never cried. Nothing ever seemed to make him sad, so why would he?

A part of Marik always wondered how it was possible to feel so little, but then again, it was Bakura. He was a sociopath with a thirst for revenge and blood, lacking in empathy and feeling. Hatred and vengeance were his driving forces. His usual setting was grouchy unless it involved an evil scheme or killing one of his victims. Maybe an occasional movie, game, or show he liked. It would be unnerving were it anyone else, but Marik knew him too well. Even if sometimes he felt blindsided. Which was a lot. Processing too many things was tiresome on his brain.

It was shocking. A part of himself actually wondered, why was he crying? But it all came back immediately. Bakura's confession of love and the fact he'd come back after trying to leave.

Marik almost wanted to cry himself, he'd never been so moved before. All because Bakura loved him. It was no wonder he tried to leave earlier, which by now, he was willing to forgive his partner for. He'd been more than right that Bakura was afraid of fun! He was afraid of feeling good! He hadn't felt good in a long time, if _ever,_ Marik figured. No wonder he was so hesitant to do certain things.

But now here they were and Marik knew he'd keep this memory forever. Both the confession and seeing him cry. Over him, no less. But of course he didn't want to see his best friend so sad, it did hurt to see him like that. All he'd wanted was to make Bakura happy, but this was the exact opposite.

Seeing him so openly vulnerable, eyes shut, tears streaming freely down his pale face was striking. Yet, it was so amazing. He'd never felt this way toward anyone in his life or had experienced someone so emotional over him. Outside of his siblings, anyway. It awakened something within himself that he now realized a few things. Usually it took time for him to process something. Not now, though. It was clear as day and quick as a hummingbird. Not to mention, all those strange things Bakura sometimes said just about hit him in the face like an open-palm slap. Or a kick.

Marik wanted to say something about it. He wanted to do something. To just get up and take his sexy partner to bed and _show him_ how much the feeling was mutual.

But he also knew that Bakura needed to preserve his pride, he needed some normalcy in order to relax. He'd figure out a way to bring it up.

* * *

All he had to do was something he did best: play dumb. He had to see where this would go. Just to see the look on Bakura's face, or better yet, his crotch. It would be more fun that way. On top of that, he wondered, what would Bakura try to do with this if he believed Marik had no idea?

Everything was going according to plan. In spite of the minor setbacks that came with the shower temperature thanks to Bakura's butt (which Marik had to resist the urge to spank or squeeze) hitting the valve. But then it was made up for when Bakura washed Marik's hair, which felt _so nice_. He hadn't had someone outside of Odion washing his hair in a long time.

Bakura's fingers were nimble and thorough, but very gentle. He could get used to the idea of them showering together and washing each other. So many of his yaoi comics and some books he'd read tended to feature the couple showering together at least once, anyway.

But how the frig did those couples fuck in the shower? There wasn't always a lot of room and they never had a bottle of lube just sitting in there. Water wasn't a lubricant, this he knew. Somehow. As tempted as he was to shove Bakura against the shower wall and fuck him senseless, going in raw probably wasn't a good idea. He didn't want their first time to hurt, at least not more than it should hurt.

Not to mention he wouldn't know how to explain to the rest of the Evil Council about why Bakura was walking funny. Funny as a sight it would be, admittedly. Or better yet, walking around with a pillow and ice pack tied around his waist to soothe his sore bottom. Maybe then he could make up a funny story about how they decided to go try out bull fighting and Bakura ended up hit in the butt by the angry animal! That would be hysterical!

No wait, then everyone would either laugh or not believe him. Because why would Bakura willingly do such a thing? It had to be more convincing than that.

Now he had to do Bakura's hair, which would take a while since he had longer, fluffier hair. Not that Marik minded, he'd always wanted a chance to get in and do some pampering to that lovely head of white hair!

Even better, Bakura had poised himself against the shower wall with his hands pressed to it. Almost like he was giving Marik an invitation. Which of course was the case. Marik could see _and_ feel that Bakura was very hard. The look of raw lust in his eyes was also a dead giveaway.

He'd had to resist the urge to touch him for quite a while now. Especially when Bakura dropped the shampoo bottle (which he clearly did on purpose, did he honestly believe Marik wouldn't know? He knew that Bakura tended to either grunt in annoyance or swear loudly whenever he dropped something) and he had his cheek right up against the hardened member for a brief second. But he did it just to tease the spirit, knowing it would make him want more.

He was going to make Bakura quivering, needy mess, begging and moaning for more. The idea of reducing such a tough, sociopathic, bloodthirsty thief like him to such a level would be amazing.

After he'd finished washing Bakura's hair and making sure the excess shampoo was out, Marik went to work. He took a provided sponge from the shower caddy and started to wash Bakura's back. He did enjoy the reactions Bakura was giving to the treatment.

All the while, Marik was figuring out a way to make his move when yet another opportunity came ringing at his doorstep. Like a sexy mailman with a sexy package.

Bakura's arm had lowered from the wall and was now reaching down to himself. For a moment, Marik assumed he was just letting it dangle for some reason. But then he spotted movement. The movement was a bit slow and subtle, but it was happening. It became clear that he was touching himself. What had happened? Did he lose his boner somehow? Or was he giving up and finishing himself off?

The sight was very alluring, Marik wasn't sure how he managed to keep up his scrubbing, but he did. Although he'd been far too aware that Bakura wanted him by now, this right here would have been a dead giveaway. Was he trying to be subtle? It wasn't working.

Suddenly, Bakura let out a cry. But it wasn't a pleasured one, it sounded more like he really wanted something cool and fun from a store but the salesperson was all like “Sorry, we're out”. And then you let out a noise that indicated how disappointed you were. It was like that.

A sting of worry made itself known within his gut and he had to know what seemed to be bothering his partner.

“What's wrong, Bakura? Is it your shoulder?” Marik asked, furrowing his brow.

Not looking at him, Bakura stilled slightly before responding. “It's nothing. Keep going... I'm really enjoying this.”

Marik stopped the sponge, thinking this over. Maybe a perfect moment wouldn't explode in front of him like a fireworks display. Maybe it wouldn't knock on his door like a sexy mailman. His instinct was practically yelling at him to just _do it_.

And he knew exactly what he had to do. The fact that Bakura was touching himself actually _was_ a perfect opportunity.

“You sure?” Marik asked, leaning his head forward slightly. He placed the sponge aside and prepped his hand. “I could always help you, you know.”

“Help me with what?” Bakura was attempting to turn himself around to look at him, but Marik made his move.

He reached around Bakura and went for it, taking hold of his erect member right beneath where it was already held. Bakura's body stiffened against him and Marik didn't stop there. He started to stroke the appendage in spite of Bakura's hand in the way, relishing the softness of the flesh. In response, he felt Bakura quivering against him and turned his head away.

After a few attempted strokes, Marik pushed the other's hand away and now had free reign of the whole penis. As he'd seen earlier, Bakura was considerably smaller, but that didn't bother him at all. He was a perfect size for him to hold and pleasure to the max.

Going along with stroking, feeling Bakura surrendering, Marik sweetened the deal by trailing a finger up to his rear entrance.

“Wh-what are you...?” Bakura was trying to say, his voice breathy. He stiffened yet again and he pulled away from the offending finger and turned himself around. His expression wasn't of anger or even fear, just surprise and confusion. “Marik?”

Marik smiled wryly at him, still holding the thief's erection in his hand. “What's wrong? You looked like you were struggling, Bakura. When I'm touching myself, I usually use both my hands, like this, see?”

Adding his other hand to grip the base, he continued to tease the erection with his palm and nimble fingers. Bakura's eyes followed his movements and they widened before he let out a loud moan. The sound was incredibly satisfying and sent blood to his own groin and Marik kept grinning as he demonstrated.

“It's much more effective!” He declared.

“Marik...!” Bakura moaned, then reached down to grab hold of Marik's hands, stopping him. Why was he stopping this? Didn't he want it? Before he could say anything, Bakura spoke up again. “I just want to be clear on this. You do know you're touching my dick right now, don't you?”

Marik wanted to laugh. This was going exactly as he expected it to. If he didn't know any better, he'd wonder when his partner became so clueless. “Duh!”

“But I thought you weren't... I mean, I thought that YOU thought you weren't...?” Bakura uttered, struggling to find the words. It was so adorable to see him this flustered and so caught off guard that he couldn't even string together a sentence. “I mean, when did you figure out that you're...?”

Smirking, Marik knew this was the perfect moment to drop the bomb. “Bakura. I figured it out the same time you figured out you loved me.”

Sure enough, the look on Bakura's face was beyond priceless. His eyes were wide and his lips were parted slightly in shock. Marik had been right, he _did_ assume the confession wasn't heard. This was better than anything he could've imagined this moment being! Catching Bakura so off guard in the best way was just beautiful in itself. Amidst the shock, his eyes were lit up in ways Marik had never seen outside of brandishing one of his knives.

“You heard that?” Bakura finally asked, emotion creeping into his voice. “Why didn't you tell me?”

Unable to hold his laughter back, Marik cackled. “And miss the look on your crotch? It was much more fun to play dumb. A villain always have to have a trick up his sleeve!”

“You are the worst villain I've ever met!” Bakura snapped, but his lips were curling upwards and his cheeks were bright pink. There was no heat in his attempted scowl combined with the fact he was trying not to smile. Adorable.

“I take that as a compliment.” Marik replied as he stood back all of one inch.

Then he dropped to his knees, purely on instinct as he realized exactly what he wanted to do. With no hesitation, he took hold of Bakura's cock and brought it to his mouth. Engulfing the tip, he licked along the underside of the top, experimenting.

Of course, Marik had never done this before, but he'd read plenty of comics and books to know some ideas. The size was easy to work with and the fleshy texture beneath his tongue was strangely interesting.

Keeping up with his sucking, Marik bobbed his head quickly to gain momentum. His hand was still wrapped around the base of Bakura's member, keeping it and himself steady. Above him, Bakura was moaning and letting out a nervous kind of laugh that was incredibly endearing. His hand was clutching at the shower curtain, his cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were closed. It was a beautiful sight to see the normally tough, stoic spirit so unravelled and lost in pleasure. Pleasure that he himself was administering. Even better were the sounds he made.

Marik slowed his movements, keeping his lips wrapped around the tip and deciding to focus on lapping that up instead. He had to wonder how long Bakura must have wanted this. Probably quite a while? Admittedly he was curious. On his own part, Marik realized, he'd buried his desires deep within a box inside of his mind.

A shiny lock box with a penis-shaped key for some reason.

Anytime he'd find himself staring at Bakura and drinking in how sexy he was, Marik would try his hardest to deny it. That he wasn't gay, that he could easily recognize a good-looking person no matter the gender. That it was just a fact. That there was a reason Bakura (and by extension, his host) had so many fangirls. He was extremely attractive. There were times he'd read his yaoi and started to imagine himself and Bakura in those circumstances. Quite a bit, actually. All before he'd shove those thoughts away and remind himself he wasn't gay.

No matter how sexy his partner was.

But now, no such denial was creeping up. Marik _wanted_ this. Why else was he willingly let it happen and sucking on his dick like a gay man would? Okay, he wasn't gay, but he still wanted it! He was enjoying the act of licking and sucking Bakura off, watching his facial expressions and hearing the sounds he made.

Marik touched himself lightly, taken aback by just how much doing this for Bakura was affecting him too. He wasn't just hard, he was _granite_ at this point. He wanted Bakura so, so bad. To just bring him to the bed and fuck him into sexy oblivion! To pin the thief down onto the mattress and gaze down at him while they had sex like in his comics. To watch his handsome, pretty face twist into pure pleasure, his brown eyes cloud over with pure lust, and to hear him moan and cry out Marik's name. He'd never wanted to be inside another man, let alone another person, as badly as he did right now. It was all he could think about. Just _being_ with him.

But unfortunately, they didn't have lube and probably wouldn't find any around this town. Why would they sell such a thing at a water park place, anyway? That would seem pretty weird. It would be like going to Disneyland (Marik made a mental note to tell Bakura they had to make their way to either park later!) and finding a bunch of sex toys.

It would have to wait until they made it to Michigan. Finding lube would be easier there, he figured. But for now, this would have to do. Marik wanted to show Bakura that under no uncertain terms that he wanted this.

Experimentally, Marik bit down on Bakura's shaft. Just a little to get his teeth in, but not too hard. Sometimes there was biting of dicks in yaoi comics, which always seemed to garner two reactions. Either the receiver loved it and begged for more, or it hurt and they didn't like it.

Bakura fell into the latter category as he hissed and told him not to use his teeth too much. Shrugging it off, Marik continued sucking and made sure to mind his teeth. It seemed to be going well judging by Bakura's breathy moans that followed. Seeing movement, Marik turned his eyes upward and saw Bakura now trying to adjust the aim of the shower head so the water cascaded down his front and onto Marik's shoulders. He wasn't sure why, but it felt nice nonetheless.

Once done adjusting the shower head, Bakura looked down at him, his eyes glazed over with lust. His lips were parted as the occasional moan and heavy breathing escaped him. To top it all off, his cheeks were still bright coral with no signs of fading. He looked a mix of adorable and yet incredibly sexy in this state. It was everything he could've wanted in a moment of blowing his partner.

Marik continued his assault with his tongue, eagerly diving into the precum that had been leaking for the past little while. While doing so, he stroked himself, unable to resist the urge. He was very skilled, after all! Who's to say he couldn't give an awesome blowjob while stroking himself at the same time? He would declare it to be so! No straight man could match his skills of giving a gay man a blow job, a great one at that, and stroking himself without breaking pace!

It didn't take long, all it took was watching Bakura's pleasured face and a few good, hard strokes. Since his mouth was occupied, he made a sound around Bakura's member while he released. It had overwhelmed him with how strong and great it felt that he almost wanted to collapse, but he didn't. No way, he had skills! He could manage this no problem! Did Bakura notice? It was hard to tell, but it didn't matter. Now he couldn't wait to find out how it was going to feel even better when coming inside of him...

The evidence was washed away pretty quickly, leaving little to no trace of it happening. Marik continued sucking, going at it far more vigorously, anything to bring Bakura to climax.

Unfortunately, it happened all too soon and Bakura climaxed right then and there. He'd been moaning, which might have been a good indication, but it wasn't. He'd been making delicious sounds the entire time and this was no different aside from the hitch in breath. Marik realized this when the onslaught of cum rushed into his mouth like a tidal wave and he didn't have time to pull back. It took him by surprise, filled in his mouth, and he was forced to swallow as best he could. No, he didn't just swallow, he gulped.

The taste was _so salty_! Goopy, slimy salt! It ran down his throat quickly and Marik pulled back, sputtering. Salty! He stood back up, sputtering and spitting out remnants that were in his mouth. Within his line of sight, Bakura slid down the shower wall and fell onto his behind. The sight was cute and Marik would've enjoyed it more if his taste buds weren't filled with so much frigging salt! He adjusted the shower head to aim at his mouth, opening up and letting the cold water wash away the salty taste.

Those books and comics lied to him! Some of the characters LIKED the taste, or said it was yummy! Said it was sweet! Who the frig thought that salty was sweet?! Or yummy?! He was going to have to write some strongly worded letters about this misinformation! And make sure to demand more comics as compensation! This was an outrage and a blatant lie!

Managing to rinse out the taste as much as he could, Marik leaned away from the nozzle and was brought back to reality as he heard Bakura chuckling from the floor.

“You doing okay there?” Bakura asked. “Sorry if it didn't taste so good.”

Marik pouted, wishing now that Bakura had warned him it was happening! “It feels like I ate a huge pile of salt! And then washed it down with a bottle of salt water! And then had a salt cake for dessert!”

Patting his leg, Bakura looked up at him with a smile. “Awfully specific.”

“I speak from experience.” Marik stated. Pretty soon he was lost in Bakura's smile, his own heart swelling. But he knew they had some other matters to take care of before getting _too_ comfortable. “We should probably take care of our wounds, huh?”

“Give me a minute.” Bakura replied, holding up his hand. His eyes wandered along Marik's body, just as they'd done earlier. Then he met Marik's eyes, still smiling. “I'm waiting for this to turn out to be one of those inconvenient dream sequences or drug-induced hallucinations.”

Awww. Marik turned off the water and drank in Bakura's words. Even though the sentiment made sense, hearing it confirmed still lead to his heart pounding heavily. “You get those a lot?” He asked, crouching down beside him on the shower floor. He leaned against Bakura's body, chests touching, and could feel the other's heartbeat. Like his own, it was racing.

The smile Bakura now wore was nothing short of beautiful. But there was nothing alien or unsettling about seeing it on his face, despite it being different. This wasn't a malicious, evil grin, but rather a real, genuine smile. The likes of which Marik could never recall ever seeing unless Bakura was sleeping peacefully or had to act like his host. But it wasn't a clone of that smile. It was a genuine smile that matched his face, something that was unmistakably his own.

A similar one would have been the tender look he sometimes shot Marik for a split second when he thought Marik wasn't looking only for it to disappear as quick as it came. This was that tender look but multiplied. Ten times, maybe!

Marik felt his heart swell once again. To think he could get Bakura, of all people, to smile like that. Moreso, at him. To be gifted with such a lovely sight was incredible. He wanted to keep doing that, to keep drawing that smile from him. Especially since it reached his striking brown eyes, which practically twinkled.

“More than you think.” Bakura said with a sigh, still gazing at him with that smile. “Hey. Pinch me.”

Marik smiled back. He'd been right that Bakura wanted this for a while, but also dreamed of it and was afraid it wasn't real? Touching beyond words.

“To see if you're dreaming?” He asked.

Grinning, Bakura replied, “Sure, let's go with that.”

Their noses brushed as Bakura closed the gap and kissed him. The touch of his surprisingly soft lips against his own sent a warming surge through his being and he melted. Marik kissed back, matching the tender fervency that his partner was administering. Going on pure instinct, even.

They held each other, just like in the books and comics he'd read.

The closest was probably following the death of his father when Odion held him comfortingly. Although different circumstances, the sentiment of someone who loved you in some regard was the same. Then on those nights when he woke up after his Melvin Dreams, Bakura always held him close until Marik calmed down. It never took very long, as Marik had come to feel a certain kind of comfort whenever Bakura held him that way. He'd hold Marik close, chin resting on his head, and not saying a word. But it was fine, he never had to. Just his presence alone was enough.

Being so depraved of it for a long time tended to almost made you forget how much you wanted it, or even needed it.

They kept kissing, not letting up for a second or moving from this spot. It might not have been the most ideal location, but at the moment, it didn't matter. Marik just continued to melt into Bakura's slick body and savour his lips. Bakura was quite a good kisser, which somehow was both surprising and yet not. For a moment he feared there was no way he could be doing this right since his only kissing experience was with a mirror. But given Bakura's responses, he had to be doing _something_ right.

For their first kiss together, regardless of the setting, it was everything he could want. Languid and tender, but fervent. Their tongues met on occasion, exploring each other's lips and inside of their mouths. Sometimes their kissing lingered, other times quick pecks, it was all instinct at this point. But most of all, it was perfect because it was with his partner.

After one more kiss, Marik reluctantly pulled back, to which Bakura let out a small sound. They looked at each other as their eyes opened fully. Laying their foreheads together, Marik grinned from ear to ear, watching as Bakura did the same. A few seconds went by as they remained this way, maintaining eye contact.

“Still think you're dreaming?” Marik asked, poking his tongue between his teeth.

A low, warm chuckle escaped Bakura as he shook his head slightly. “I think I'm convinced.”

Although he wanted to just stay here for longer, Marik caught sight of the bloodied wound on Bakura's shoulder and remembered they ought to address this. He carefully stood up, taking Bakura's hand from his good side to help him to his feet. Once they were situated, the curtain was pulled back and they were able to step out into the tiny bathroom.

Then Marik took a couple of towels, handing one to Bakura, who accepted it and they went to work drying themselves off. Although their time in the stall without the water running for all that time did help to dry themselves off, at least the towels would ensure it. Especially their hair.

Marik towel-dried his hair, which was easy to do with his cut and volume level. He then looked at himself in the mirror, fixing up the fly-aways so that they were well in place. Of course he took some time to admire his reflection, grinning widely at just how utterly gorgeous he was. Sure, the scars on his chest were annoying and would get in the way, but it seemed Bakura was right. It would just take a little bit ignoring them to ensure they'd go away. The wound on his hand would be the same, he figured.

He fixed his hair some more, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth as he concentrated. Every so often, Marik glanced at Bakura's reflection, watching as the spirit dried himself and his hair. Then Bakura licked the tips of his fingers and smoothed out one of his bat wings for hair. His eyes flicked toward the mirror, seeming to realize he was being watched. The neutral look that had been on his face melted into a smile.

Bakura came up behind Marik, gazing at his reflection up and down, then licked his lips. He then brought his arms around Marik's middle and pulled himself close, careful not to touch his scars. Marik closed his eyes for a brief second, touched by how he was trying not to touch his back, but honestly, he wouldn't have minded if he did.

The contrast of pale and dark skin was so pretty. In spite of teasing him earlier (and many times in the past) about getting a tan, Marik knew there was no need. Bakura truly didn't need to put in much, if any, effort to look sexier than he already was.

He touched Bakura's hands tenderly, then turned around to face him. Neither of them spoke. Bakura just looked at him, his cheeks pink and the smile on his lips growing. Marik brought his undamaged hand to the thief's cheek, caressing it. Bakura sighed through his nose and leaned into his touch. He brought one hand up to place over Marik's, holding it.

They kissed, letting it linger for a few moments and pulling away. Well, for a second.

Bakura's fingers snaked to the back of Marik's neck and pulled him back in for more. The neediness was so prevalent. Nonetheless Marik indulged, or rather, happily joined in. His hands squeezed Bakura's hips, bringing him closer before embracing him entirely. In response, Bakura curled his arms around Marik's neck and shoulders, their bodies now flush. It seemed he didn't care about his bad shoulder, which somehow wasn't surprising.

Marik had been right (as he was about MANY things!), they _were_ a perfect fit. Bakura's skinny frame fit well against his own and the height difference was next to nothing. No need for readjustments and their eyes were perfectly level. Since Marik was slightly taller, it meant that Bakura's crotch was pretty well lined up with his own.

Their kisses started out feverish, but soon slowed and became languid and tender. Of course it ended with reluctance. But it was worth seeing the beaming look on Bakura's face for a moment before his smile relaxed.

“You were right, we should go tend to our wounds.” Bakura suddenly said softly.

Marik nodded as they let go of each other, but he took Bakura's hand in his own and led the way out into the bedroom. The broken chair, blood stains on the floor, and stray sheet were the only evidence of Melvin's intrusion earlier. Marik shuddered upon seeing the mess and stopped in his tracks. Although it was over, the sting of knowing Melvin had done this and had hurt Bakura badly overcame him a little. He went silent and stood there, staring at the mess, almost forgetting where he was.

Melvin's maniacal laughter echoed in his brain, whether from a memory or it was actually happening was unclear. Marik felt a chill run up his spine as he tried to quell the horrid thoughts. The horror of what could have been if he hadn't regained control. There was no doubt that Melvin was going to kill Bakura and either make Marik believe he'd done it himself or know it was him. He'd almost lost his best friend and this mess reminded him of it.

Suddenly, Marik felt arms come around him from behind and felt Bakura's cheek rest against his back. Right against where the wings were. He relaxed immediately and felt warmer, closing his eyes. Somehow, Bakura had sensed his distress. He felt lips kiss the back of his shoulder. The tension in the air dissipated.

“It's all right, Marik.” Bakura whispered into his ear, his voice tender. “He's gone. You're okay.”

Sighing through his nose, Marik felt lighter and leaned a bit against Bakura's comforting hold. His heart swelled with gratitude and adoration. Tears had threatened to fall, but he held them back as the heaviness in his gut ebbed away. Instead, he turned around and faced his partner, smiling. Bakura's countenance was marred with concern, his brow furrowed. Marik, always knowing what to say, found himself unable to pick out the right words to say in this moment. There were so many of them! So many words! And that was rare, coming from him. Oh, he was going to make up for it later. Somehow.

For now, Marik just pulled Bakura in for a hug and laid his head on the thief's shoulder. Bakura returned it immediately, resting their heads together and stroking his lower back gently.

It was strange how people could get messages across without saying anything.

To think, just some time ago earlier today, he'd been an emotional mess and was all alone. Crying his eyes out as his broken heart consumed him. All alone, wrapped in a blanket, with no one to turn to. Losing your best friend, the only person you had anything of an intimate bond with in forever, had to be close to that pain he'd been given the carvings on his back.

Now he wasn't alone. Bakura was here, in his arms, and holding him. He smelled good, he felt good, everything about this was even better than good. It felt right.

Unable to take the silence anymore, Marik spoke up. “Hey Bakura.”

“Mm?” Came Bakura's response.

Marik smiled. “You give the best hugs.”

A snort sounded from Bakura, but he didn't relent his hold. “Don't say such ridiculous things,” he muttered, but his tone didn't match the words.

“Make me!” Marik laughed, feeling lighter already.

They held each other for a bit longer and then pulled away. Bakura then looked about the room for something unknown. He frowned, checked the dresser, and then the night stand. Whatever he was looking for, nothing seemed to come up as he cursed under his breath.

“Of course this bloody place doesn't have first aid.” Bakura muttered.

“Maybe that check-in guy has something?” Marik suggested. “Although he didn't offer churros, so I can't imagine he has much.”

Bakura sighed and looked around again. Then his eyes fell to the sheet on the floor and he stared at it for a few moments. He knelt down, taking the sheet, and looked at Marik.

“Come here,” he said. “I have an idea.”

“Do I have to put that on like a Greek toga?” Marik asked, wrinkling his nose. “Because having a sexy Egyptian looking like a Greek God would be kinda weird. Or should I pose for our DVD with it? I don't know why though, it wouldn't fit in with our sexy road trip movie.”

“That's where you draw the line?” Bakura said, raising an eyebrow. He shook his head, taking part of the sheet in both hands. With his teeth, he ripped it apart and came out with a small shred of it.

Taking the piece, Bakura disappeared into the bathroom. Marik happily watched his ass retreat deliciously. He heard the sink running briefly, then turned off, and Bakura returned. Kneeling down in front of Marik, Bakura took the now wet fabric.

“This might sting a little.” Bakura warned.

Marik tensed but nodded. Keeping his free hand on Marik's shoulder, Bakura brought the wet sheet to the cuts on his chest and carefully dabbed it. The cold water did sting slightly, but it seemed to do the trick as the coldness created a numbing sensation. After dabbing his chest, Bakura moved a cleaner side of the cloth to the wound over his hand, which did sting a little more.

“Shouldn't it be warmer?” Marik asked, tensing yet again from the cold water.

Bakura shook his head. “Cold helps to slow down the blood flow to an injury. It also facilitates healing and brings down swelling. If I were to use heat, it would open up the blood vessels and increase the blood flow.”

“Ah.” Marik replied, not surprised that Bakura knew something like this.

“Hold that there.” Bakura then stood up.

He went to the bathroom again, there was a shuffling sound of fabric. Marik watched after him, confused. Then Bakura was grunting slightly. But then he sighed in relief. What was he doing in there? There was no toilet flushing, so he doubted it was to take care of business. And he would've closed the door if that were the case. But he was out of sight, so it was hard to tell what was going on.

Finally, Bakura emerged, fully dressed and adjusting the Millennium Ring around his neck. He strode over to the dresser and took the small plastic container with a lid that was sitting there.

“I'm going to get some ice.” Bakura said, looking toward him. “Wait here.”

“Okay.” Marik replied.

After opening the door and peering outside to make sure no one was around, Bakura nodded in satisfaction. He stepped out and closed the door behind him. Marik remained there, holding the wet cloth to his chest, and didn't even think about being scared that Bakura would just leave again. Why would he, after everything that happened?

And besides, Marik thought, he'd have to bring back the ice bucket before leaving!

Sure enough, Bakura returned not two minutes later, the container now filled with some ice. He closed and locked the door, then strode over, kneeling down in front of Marik.

“We don't have any ice packs, so this will have to do for now.” Bakura said, taking the sheet and ripping off some more of it to create a makeshift baggie. He put some ice into it, wrapped up the ends in a bow, and then held it to Marik's hand in place of the cloth.

“Cold!” Marik cried in surprise, but held it there anyway.

“We don't exactly have bandages.” Bakura said ruefully. “But it'll help stop the bleeding. Turn your hand over.”

Marik did so and trembled at the cold sensation now in his palm. He started to move it away, but Bakura placed his hand over his own to hold it in place. The touch of his also cool hand seemed to both help and make Marik squirm a bit.

After a little while, the makeshift ice pack was moved to his chest. Holding it to the wounds with his free hand, Marik examined his injured one. It had appeared to stop bleeding some time ago, but still looked messy. Frigging Melvin, injuring his hand like that.

Bakura said, “Give me your hand.”

Marik complied. He watched as Bakura cleared away any remnants of wet blood and double checked the wound on both sides. Looking at Marik apologetically, he then tied the shredded sheet around his hand like a bandage and then tightened it with a sharp tug. It hurt a bit and made Marik wince. Once Bakura had it knotted, he ripped off the tail with his teeth and admired his handiwork.

“That'll have to do.” Bakura said with a nod.

Shrugging, Marik nodded in agreement and then lowered his hand. Looking downward at the cuts, moving the pack along his chest so it could affect other areas. “Are these going to scar? They better not! I already have enough scars on my back, but at least they can make a sexy tattoo that the dudes love! I mean, uh, ladies. The point is, I don't want scars on my chest!”

“Right.” Bakura said dryly, a light smirk curling at his lips. “What's wrong with scars, Marik? They can make someone look mysterious and exotic. I had one, like I told you earlier. It was quite effective for that.”

“That's different!” Marik proclaimed. “What you said sounds like it was a sexy scar. Sexy scars do that! But when it's just a bunch of cuts, it looks silly.”

“Don't worry. Like I said, we're anime characters, you'll be fine.”

Although placated, Marik continued to pout. Bakura just chuckled, shifting to a sitting position on the floor. His eyes wandered along Marik's body, occasionally licking his lips. Appreciating the attention, Marik grinned widely and made himself a bit more comfortable.

“You like what you see, Bakura?” He purred.

Eyes meeting his, Bakura leaned forward a bit, a suggestive look on his face. “You _know_ I do.”

Of course he knew it by now, but Marik couldn't resist feeding his ego. The look of hunger and wanton in Bakura's eyes and face were too much to resist. Great, now he lamented all the more that they didn't exactly have the means for full-on fucking.

After a bit, he took the ice pack off, and could see he was no longer bleeding. Turning to Bakura, he held the pack out to him. Bakura smiled, took the pack, and removed his shirt as carefully as possible. He placed the makeshift ice pack over his wound, wincing while he did so.

“Does it still hurt?” Marik asked, placing a hand on his leg.

Bakura winced, but kept himself steady. “It's not so bad. I'll be fine. I've had worse.”

Not quite sure if that was true or just to save face, Marik nodded and let it slide. He placed his hand over Bakura's to hold the pack there, earning a look of gratitude.

Yet again, he remembered how close he'd come to Melvin killing Bakura. To losing him for good. Who knows what would've happened had Bakura not said his heartfelt confession. Of course he had faith that Bakura had skills and was good at self-defence, but it must have been hard if Melvin had him down that much.

But he was here, alive, though injured, and with him again. Losing him in the physical distance sense was already bad enough, but to death? Or rather, to his soul being sent back into the Millennium Ring?

Marik didn't want to think about that. Especially since he didn't have to anymore. They were both fine. Closer than ever, even! Why think about the sad, crappy stuff in the past that could have happened when he could just be happy right now?

Leaning in close, Bakura then looked at him with mild surprise, apparently not paying attention. His eyes searched Marik's face, as they often did, and it seemed he was puzzled. Oh, this was perfect. Marik leaned in and stole a kiss, which seemed to surprise his partner a little. But pretty soon his cheeks were noticeably less pale and his lips curved into a smile.

They sat together for a bit, then Bakura lowered the ice from his shoulder and glanced at the wound.

“You should take your shirt off.” Marik said, indicating it.

Bakura looked back at him and gave a wry grin. “You never have to ask to get me out of my clothes, Marik.”

Although it wasn't exactly where his thought process had been, Marik laughed and knew all too well how true it was. “You're a naughty boy, Bakura.”

“Understatement.” Bakura said as he removed his shirt. The wound seemed to be bleeding less, but definitely still an issue.

Taking the sheet, Marik started to rip some of it off too. Bakura watched him, his expression wary.

“There isn't much we can do about it outside of a hospital.” Bakura said.

“I'll tie it up anyway.” Marik replied, stretching the shredded sheet and then biting it off too. He dabbed at the wound with one end, seeing it turn a bit dark red. “Can you lift it?”

Bakura nodded and slowly lifted up his arm, visibly wincing as he did so. Marik took the shredded sheet and started to tie it around Bakura's shoulder, trailing over and under his armpit carefully. He wrapped the sheet a few times, enough to tighten it, and then tugged. Bakura let out a pained cry and then bit his lip. Once the makeshift bandage was secured, Marik tied both ends together, giving a final tug.

Lowering his arm, Bakura looked at the makeshift bandage, smoothed it out, and seemed at least a little satisfied. Marik patted it gently, then stood up and went to the bathroom. Although he saw that his thong was nowhere to be found, he brushed it off for now. He'd find it later, it probably just ended up elsewhere. He just took his shirt and pulled it on, then his cargo pants. It was fine, he sometimes didn't wear underwear. A fact he was going to have _even more_ fun with these days.

Now dressed, Marik returned to the room, and came upon a lovely sight. Bakura was laid out on the bed, shirt back on and had taken off his shoes. His eyes were on Marik the entire time, gazing at him in an suggestive manner with his eyes half-amast. He was on his back, supporting himself on his arms. Even though Bakura was fully dressed, it didn't diminish how sexy he looked. Marik stopped in his tracks and drank him in, frozen in place.

Yet again, Marik inwardly lamented that they didn't have lube on hand. Otherwise, he would've gone straight to pinning him down and tearing his clothes back off. Bakura beckoned Marik with a single finger, propping himself up on his free hand. Not that an invitation was needed, but Marik had a feeling that Bakura was trying to be alluring.

It was working.

Marik crawled onto the bed toward him, earning a grin in return. The very second Marik came within reach, Bakura immediately embraced him and lay back. Now on top of Bakura, Marik made himself comfortable and went to work at stroking his partner's fluffy, slightly damp hair. It always did take forever to dry, but they didn't have a blow dryer.

“It looks like we won't have a problem sharing the bed.” Bakura purred.

Catching on to this, Marik grinned. “You're not sleeping on the floor, Bakura.”

“And what makes you think I would have? Yesterday, I was _trying_ to tell you that I would take the bed.” Bakura smirked and licked his lips.

“I need my beauty sleep, so therefore, the bed would've been mine!” Marik declared, twirling one of Bakura's bat wings for hair around his finger.

Bakura laughed, shaking his head. “Go ahead and think that if you like. But we won't have to worry about that now.”

Of course he was right. Then again, Marik had a feeling that even if things hadn't transpired the way they did, they would've shared anyway. Like that one other time they were forced to share in a hotel room with only one bed. Back when Marik had still been in denial of his feelings and tried to repress just how much he wanted it. Back when they had to make a show of how awful it was. Despite the inner desires to get closer.

Not this time, though.

Looking back down at his partner, Marik felt his heart swell at the sight of Bakura smiling at him, his eyes full of adoration. His white hair was fanning out over the pillow beneath his head, adding more to the allure. Did Bakura have _any_ idea what he was doing to Marik right now?

This past while, it was the happiest and most content he had _ever_ seen Bakura during their time together. It was incredible to see his partner in villainy actually looking happy. They might have been evil villains, sure, but didn't they deserve their own piece of paradise and to feel good about it?

That was what he wanted to do during this little getaway with just the two of them. To make him happy. To have fun together. Now it seemed like his little wish came true.

Marik always did everything possible to be in a good mood. Surrounding himself with things he liked, singing fun songs, playing video games, anything that could lift his spirits. It wasn't usually hard since he liked a lot of things and was always on the pursuit for more fun stuff.

But today, even he felt happier than he'd ever felt in his life. Was there any possible way to describe it? Even if you spent hours pouring over a dictionary?

Was this what true love felt like? Was it love? Or something close to it? Either way, it was incredible. A feeling Marik had always wanted, but never knew how to achieve. But they had it now. Whatever it was felt like a secret shared only between the two of them. Like their own club, where only they were the members.

What did this make them, though? Still plain partners? Villains with benefits, maybe? Or did they really have to go full-throttle with terms and just say boyfriends? He didn't mind that personally, but they were villains, so did they qualify for such a thing? Maybe it didn't matter. He'd just go along with the flow as he tended to do, anyway. Sometimes it was better not too think too hard about things and just let it all happen! That's what he liked to do.

It did make him wish they were in a better place than this motel. A luxurious mansion or penthouse kind of place! Super fluffy carpets, marble flooring, all kinds of gold and silver trinkets, a giant King-sized golden bed with silky linen and a giant bathroom. That giant bathroom would have a giant tub the size of a pool! With jets! They'd have Steves guarding all over the premises but it would be all theirs. Just the two of them, bathing in pure luxury and lovely stuff! They'd have sex in every single room! Heck, there would be an entire sex room! A sex dungeon!

And their bedroom too, of course.

Then again, Marik knew he'd go anywhere so long as Bakura was with him. That was what counted the most. He'd already been more than happy with the idea of them being together forever before today, but now he wanted it more than ever. Just the two of them, living out being awesome evil villains and partners. They'd travel the world, spreading their dastardly villain plans! Or find a nice place they could truly call home first, since their evil lair got blown up, and then do more travelling!

Yeah, the whole fact of Bakura being immortal while he himself was not did indeed cross his mind but he refused to let that hold him back. They'd find a way. They were villains off in search of bigger and better things, anyway! Maybe there'd be a Millennium Fountain of Youth somewhere!

Millennium Fountain of Youth. That sounded funny. He had a good feeling it would be very phallic-shaped. Or at least shaped like a butt. That would just be amazing and he would get a house built around it if that were the case.

Oh well. They'd figure something out. They came this far, after all! He didn't want to think too hard about it right this minute, anyway. Thinking about it in the past did sting a little. But now it was probably going to be harder.

And he didn't want to end up an old, wrinkly, ugly old man like Yugi's Grandpa and be unable to do sexy things anymore!

For now, Marik just ran a hand along his partner's face, watching as Bakura's eyes either followed his hand or went back to him. His cheeks were so warm and could possibly toast marshmallows.

Not that he'd ever bring those treats near Bakura, given his allergy to them.

Taking Marik's hand, Bakura interlaced their fingers, to which he reciprocated. There were nags in his brain about having to think about stuff but he pushed them aside, like usual.

' _I love you.'_ The words Bakura had spoken just some time ago rang in his head again, as if on loop. Still wonderful to hear. They were words never spoken to him directly. Oh, he knew Odion and Ishizu loved him, despite not saying that in words. It was the first time the words were said clear as day.

Leaning close, Marik brushed his nose against Bakura's lightly. In response, Bakura leaned in and kissed him. He kissed back, their lips gently brushing and applying pressure.

When they pulled back after a few moments, Bakura didn't stop there and peppered a kiss or two along his cheek and jawline. Then he paused, pulled back, and his expression immediately changed into one of regret. Marik's brow furrowed. What was he thinking of? He watched as Bakura brought his free hand up to trace along his jaw, carefully, as if afraid something would break.

“Bakura?” Marik said to catch his attention. “Something wrong?”

As if surprised he was caught, Bakura averted his eyes for a moment, keeping his hand where it was, but stopping its exploration.

“Marik,” Bakura began, sounding unsure. He looked downward and bit his lip. “I shouldn't have done that.”

“Done what?” Marik prompted, still confused.

“ _That_.” Bakura's fingers traced along his jawline again. “I shouldn't have hurt you.”

“Oh!” Marik said in realization. Right, he'd almost forgotten about that.

In fact, he kind of wanted to. It had been one of the most painful moments of his life, feeling his best friend _hated_ him and didn't want to be around him. At all. Those moments thinking, hoping, that Bakura would turn back and things could go back to normal had been in vain at first. He'd gotten struck with the reality that Bakura wasn't coming back. That he truly was gone.

Only moments before Melvin fully took over did that little hope come true.

Moreover, he didn't understand _why_ or what he had done wrong to make his friend so upset at the time. It terrified him. He'd wanted to cry, but couldn't at the moment it happened. There was so much of his being trying to fight it and think it wasn't happening. But it had been. And it hurt. Oh, it hurt.

It wasn't being left on his own in the middle of nowhere in Egypt, it wasn't being shoved to the ground, it wasn't even being kicked, and it wasn't having the awesome ass car taken away that did him in.

It was being abandoned by someone he cared about so much, his only friend. Everything else did sting, but that alone was what hurt most.

Of course, since then, not only did Bakura come back, but everything that followed made it better. In spite of Melvin's appearance, of course. More than better. Better than he'd ever felt in his life. He was surprised Bakura apologized in his own way. He didn't even need to. Marik _knew_ how he felt now. And that was fine. More than fine.

Especially since he understood the reason. Bakura's fear of having fun extended to more than just that. He remembered what he'd said, moments before Melvin took over completely.

Marik just smiled, squeezing their interlaced fingers, watching as Bakura seemed to be stuck in a mental frenzy of guilt and regret. He finally looked at Marik, then seemed surprised. It was cute.

“It's in the past, Bakura.” Marik said with a chuckle. “It's like the monkey said in _The Lion King_ about learning from it! Oh, wait! I was supposed to have a stick to whack you on the head with before I said that! Hold on Bakura, I'll go outside and find one, then I'll start over!”

Marik made a move to get out of bed, but Bakura immediately pulled him back down.

“That won't be necessary.” Bakura said with an amused expression, tightening his arms around Marik's body.

“But we were going to have the moment! I was going to teach you about not running from the past, then I was going to swing the stick and you'd duck because you learned.” Marik pouted. “Then instead of running off into the Savannah with that awesome music playing, we would've danced around with some awesome music playing!”

Chuckling, Bakura shook his head. “Marik, it's fine. You were right, it's in the past.”

“Of course it was! That's what the past is, silly.” Marik laughed, surrendering to his partner's hold. Not that it was a struggle. He relaxed a bit, unable to hold back from saying this. “You came back.”

The words gave Bakura pause and a myriad of emotions crossed his features before settling on a look of gratitude. “Of course I did.”

Marik tapped the other's nose, expecting it to squeak like a toy. Sadly, it didn't. But the way Bakura's nose scrunched up in response was adorable. His eyes met Marik's and then he smiled again. One hand came up and brushed some hair out of his eyes, trailing down to his cheek and jawline.

Marik sighed happily, leaning into the touch as he too relaxed. “Just promise me we'll go find a better water park than this one. The service here wasn't very good and there weren't any churros for breakfast! I think we need to find their website and leave a bad review!”

Although he rolled his eyes, Bakura kept smiling and shrugged. “We'll see when we get to Detroit, then. I'm sure we'll find something much more, erm, satisfying to what you're looking for.”

“Yes! We can worry about the DVD cover later, I want to find a better water park! And this time, will you get on the rides with me?” Marik asked, giving what he hoped were puppy-dog eyes. “Please?”

Bakura looked taken aback, then he rolled his eyes again, as if annoyed, but his lips were threatening to stretch into a smile. “Oh, fine. I'll go on the bloody water park rides.”

“Yay!” Marik cheered, nuzzling the other's soft, fluffy hair. He'd always wanted to do that, to just run his face into all of that fluff. “Don't worry Bakura, when we get those embarrassing photo opportunities, we won't show them to anyone!”

“That isn't even debatable.” Bakura replied, nuzzling into Marik's neck and sighing a little.

“That reminds me, we'll have to go soon!” Marik remembered. “I know our vacation is being cut short, but we'll make up for it when we get there! After we scheme some evil plans, we'll go do something just you and me! I know this stupid water park wasn't what it was cracked up to be but we'll find a better one and have fun there!”

“Marik.” Bakura spoke up, pulling back to meet his gaze.

“There better be actual log flumes this time! When we reach the top, we'll throw our hands up in the air and yell at the top of our lungs!”

“Marik.”

“Ooh ooh ooh, I almost forgot! We'll also have to make sure they have one of those slides that's a dip! It'll be fun to drop right down into the pool!”

“ _Marik._ ”

“And we'll-” Marik paused, realizing Bakura had addressed him. “Huh?”

Bakura just smiled tiredly and kissed him, to which Marik relaxed a bit and kissed back. After they parted, Bakura brought their foreheads together and trailed a hand along his lower back gently. His free hand was gently raking through Marik's hair.

“I agree that we should leave soon, but it's time we got some sleep, first.” Bakura went on. “We'll head to the airport afterwards.”

“Oh, okay.” Marik agreed as he settled yet again.

It was about then that he realized, wow, he was more tired than previously thought. Come to think of it, it had been night when he first played around in the watering hole, and then morning once he came to. He looked over at an old, barely lit up alarm clock to see it was the middle of the afternoon.

“Wait a second! It's not even bedtime yet!”

Bakura shrugged with indifference. “It doesn't matter, really.”

Wanting to answer, Marik instead yawned a bit. But he didn't want to sleep yet. All this cuddling was way too nice. Going to sleep holding each other was a common trope in his comics or books he'd read, but it also meant that soon they wouldn't be in bed just the two of them anymore. They'd be out and about, having to hide it all until they were behind closed doors again.

Oh well. Once they got to the hotel they'd already booked in Detroit, it could be rectified. They did have separate rooms booked, but this had been weeks ago, when it was the obvious choice to have their own spaces.

Marik just smiled at the thought. There'd be time to go seek out Bakura's room once the Evil Council meeting concluded in his own room. Sure, the temptation of telling his partner to stick around after the meeting was present, but he had a feeling it would be better if the rest of the members had no idea of their relationship development. It would look suspicious.

Yes... He'd go right to his room afterwards.

It was quiet now, with only the mild sounds of static coming from the ancient radio nearby that neither of them bothered to fiddle with. That and Bakura's breathing. And his own heartbeat. Marik stroked the soft white hair, and a pleasured hum sounded from Bakura in response.

Bakura gazed at him with a serene kind of smile, his eyes warm. All while his fingers raked through Marik's hair. Still felt so surreal to see him like this, looking happy and comfortable. Sure, tomorrow there would probably be more scowls and eye rolls, but that was fine. Marik was used to it and not the least bit phased. So long as he could still draw out this smile from time to time, it'd be worth it.

Marik traced along Bakura's face, and reached his lips. He trailed them gently, to which Bakura eventually licked the finger. It made Marik squeak and he pulled back to dry it off, earning a chuckle from his partner. Did Bakura really have to try turning him on?

“Very funny.” Marik pouted, wiping his finger on the covers.

“Oops. Sorry.” Bakura said with a grin that indicated he wasn't sorry in the slightest.

Satisfied it was dry, Marik twirled a strand of Bakura's hair around his finger. He looked at their intertwined hands, to which Bakura did the same upon following his gaze. The dreamy smile returned, much to Marik's delight.

“You're not dreaming, Bakura.” Marik whispered into his ear.

Bakura sighed softly and murmured, “I know.”

Grinning, he leaned down and kissed Bakura's neck, earning sighs and hums of pleasure in response. Fingers carding through his hair, Marik melted into the touch and continued nuzzling, kissing or gently nibbling the skin he came into contact with.

He would've gone full throttle with love bites, but decided to save that for later. For when things _really_ got going. After all, they couldn't show up for the Evil Council meeting with hickeys all over Bakura's neck. Even if they wouldn't suspect the culprit, it would still leave Bakura having to explain where they came from.

But then again, considering that everyone from other characters to their fangirls thought they were boyfriends since the moment they'd met, they'd no doubt draw that conclusion.

“Marik...” Bakura moaned, angling his head to accommodate.

“Yes... You like that, don't you, Bakura?” Marik purred suggestively. He licked and nibbled along his collarbone teasingly,

“ _Yes,_ I do.” Bakura whispered. His fingers were clutching at Marik's hair tightly.

“Good, there's more where that came from.” Marik went on, kissing along his jawline and chin. He chuckled and kept at it, going back down, then up again. “ _Tons_ more.”

Amidst his sighs and moans, Bakura chuckled. “Then I can say the same.”

Marik reached his lips, stole a kiss, and pulled his head back to look down at him. He grinned, watching the flushed, pleasured look on Bakura's face. “How do you feel?”

In response, Bakura let go of his hand and held onto him tightly, bringing Marik down for another kiss. Then another one. And another one. Pulling back, the pure joy on his face, much like earlier and throughout the past little while, had returned. Unmasked and sincere.

“I've never felt this way in my entire life.” Bakura confessed in a hushed tone.

Marik beamed and lay his forehead against his partner's, holding him tighter as well. “Me too. Should've happened sooner.”

Bakura gave a little shrug. “It's like you said, that's all in the past, Marik. The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or, learn from it.”

Delighted at the fact he'd quoted that line from _The Lion King_ , Marik laughed and couldn't help planting a smooch on Bakura's cheek. It was the little things they did for each other, he realized.

“Just don't start with cryptic stuff! You know I don't like that!” Marik laughed, touching his nose to Bakura's.

“Wouldn't dream of it.” Bakura said dryly, but was trying not to smile.

Chuckling, Marik nosed into Bakura's forehead bangs and closed his eyes. “Let's keep sticking together.”

Bakura's hold tightened considerably, fingers digging into Marik's shirt. “I'm not going anywhere.”

Even if those words didn't need to be said, Marik was thrilled to hear them. Knowing full well they'd never leave each other was everything to him now. They kissed, holding to each other tightly, their bodies pressed together with no space in between.

Everything was as wonderful as it could be now.

They soon lay on their sides, sharing languid kisses for a bit, before Bakura started to fall asleep. Marik let him roll over and decided to sweeten the deal. He came up behind Bakura's body, pressing his chest to his back, and brought an arm around his middle. Bakura seemed surprised, but quickly relaxed and placed his arm over Marik's.

“Sleep tight, Bakura.” Marik chuckled.

“Goodnight, Marik.” Bakura mumbled tiredly. Clearly he'd forgotten it was the middle of the day.

Marik spooned Bakura, waiting for sleep to claim him and to listening for his snoring. Of course the snoring was something he was going to have to get used to. But whatever. He could figure something out. Maybe get one of his Steves to look into finding ear plugs or something.

Sometime later, Bakura began to snore. That was the indication he was fast asleep and dead to the world. Although tired himself, Marik lifted himself up a bit and kissed his partner's cheek tenderly. A happy sigh escaped him as he continued spooning Bakura's skinny frame, relishing how nice it felt.

Very quietly, though no one else was around to hear, Marik whispered something into his ear.

Of course, he wasn't gay. He was completely hetero, after all! He liked women! But he was definitely gay for Bakura. All colours of the rainbow gay for him.

And Marik was more than okay with that.

* * *

When they'd finally awoken a few hours later, it was nighttime. It didn't matter because Marik was pumped to get going and head out once he'd retrieved the Millennium Rod from where it had landed. Bakura agreed, having already been opening the door the moment Marik announced their departure. He waited in the Marikmobile while Bakura went to return their keys to the desk clerk. Whatever else happened, Marik wasn't privy to, but he didn't care. He just wanted to get this show on the road.

As he waited, Marik then spotted something on the dashboard that stuck out like a sore thumb. Even in the dark of the night combined with the dim lights of the motel sign, he could see something there.

“What the frig?” He said to himself.

Reaching in, he pulled the object out, finding it to be very thin. To his surprise, it was a photo. He held it up to the light in order to see it better and recognized it immediately.

It was the very first photo he and Bakura had taken together. Just some time after they'd met and decided to join forces. They stood with their arms around each other, Marik looking gleeful and sexy as he ever was and brandishing the Millennium Rod with his free hand off-camera. Bakura meanwhile was looking toward him, his cheeks bright pink, despite his indifferent expression. Still sexy, though.

Marik smiled brightly. He hadn't even thought of some of the things they'd lost in the explosion, figuring it was easier not to think too hard about them. But it seemed that a treasured memory had managed to make it through. Despite the slightly burned edges and wear of the border, it was perfectly clear and intact.

It had been a while since he saw this photo, but he remembered it all the same and loved it. After all, it was to commemorate their partnership and the day they'd first met. In fact, although he'd always noticed that Bakura's cheeks were less pale in the picture, he'd always chalked it up to lighting or even, heaven forbid, being too warm outside that day. Now he knew the truth.

But, where did the photo come from? He didn't have it before. Didn't this used to be in the scrapbook Marik had made? Why was it here? Moreover, why was it on the dashboard? He knew for a fact it wasn't there while he'd been driving yesterday. If it were, he would've noticed. Was it somehow misplaced in the glove compartment? No, it couldn't have been that, either.

Marik stared at the photo, as if expecting it to offer an answer. How did it get here and why didn't he notice it before?

Thinking out loud, he muttered, “Only way it could've gotten here is if Bakura-”

Falling back into the driver's seat, Marik stared straight ahead as the realization struck him. It all made sense. Bakura must have had it somehow. Either Bakura had had it on his person all this time or it was in the glove compartment and he'd found it there. He'd had the photo all along and put it there for some reason.

Was this picture somehow related to why Bakura came back?

Looking at the photo again, Marik stared at his partner's portion, as if it were really him, studying him. Then he smiled and held the photo to his chest, right where his heart was. Whatever happened on that little journey that made Bakura turn back around, this photo was part of it.

While lost in his thoughts, the sound of crunching gravel caught his attention. Marik looked up and saw Bakura get into the passenger seat, looking as indifferent as ever. He looked at Marik, to which he rose a questioning eyebrow.

“Marik?” Bakura finally said. “Is everything all right?”

Smiling wider, Marik unbuckled his seat belt as quick as he could. “Oh, _Bakura._ ”

He leaned over to the passenger side and brought his arms around a surprised Bakura in a hug. As much as it was possible to hug someone from the side in a car, but still a hug. Bakura grunted, but brought his hands up to wherever he could reach on Marik's person. It was something of an awkward attempt to return it.

“Marik... While I'm not exactly complaining, I do have to point out that this isn't exactly the time or the place.” Bakura muttered, sounding uneasy.

Laughing a bit, Marik gave his partner a loving squeeze and pulled back somewhat. He couldn't help it, having to repress the surging feelings within himself wasn't easy. Now it was worth it to see Bakura's cheeks bright pink and his expression still surprised and confused.

Did Bakura have _any_ idea what he was doing to Marik right now? Did he have any clue that all he wanted was just to throw caution to the wind and have him right then and there? Even with wanting to fuck him so, so badly before, that desire was increased tenfold. It wasn't fair that they didn't have the means to do so.

Especially since Bakura looked so delectable in this moment? Especially when the revelation of this photo's presence was made so clear?

“What brought this on?” Bakura asked, now having regained his composure.

Instead of answering, Marik brought the photo over for him to see. Bakura leaned over to see it better, squinting. Then his eyes widened as his cheeks pinkened once again as he realized what he was looking at.

“ _Oh_.” Bakura murmured, leaning back again. “I see.”

“You had it this whole time? Where'd it come from?” Marik asked.

Looking embarrassed, Bakura shrugged. “That scrapbook you'd made ended up in the car after we escaped the explosion and this photo was preserved.”

“You're a silly billy.” Marik teased as he poked Bakura's nose, earning a look that resembled a childish pout. “You don't need a picture to remember how sexy I am! You've got the real Marik Ishtar right here in front of you!”

“I'm well aware.” Bakura said mildly, bringing Marik's hand away, but not letting go of it. “It was in my pocket ever since I retrieved it. You could say it put things into perspective for me.”

There it was. Marik's suspicions were confirmed and he felt moved all over again. He then let out a startled squeak as Bakura pulled him closer by his hand, then rested their heads together. Marik was confused by this sudden position, but stayed in place for a little bit. Bakura's cheek was nestled against his hair, nuzzling it occasionally. What was this about? Not that he minded, it just happened a little out of nowhere.

After a bit, Bakura let him go. “Sorry,” he said, his expression calm.

Marik shrugged it off, looked at the photo once again, then back at his partner and smiled wider. “It's a great photo of us, isn't it? Don't I look sexy as all hell?”

Bakura half scoffed and half chuckled, brushing some hair out of his face. “I think you already know the answer to that.”

“Of course I do, I looked super sexy in this one!”

“And you looked drunk.”

“And you were blushing!” Marik declared, giving the photo back to Bakura, who gazed at it fondly and then slipped it into his pocket. “I know it wasn't the weather, you were blushing!”

“Don't you remember what I said earlier?” Bakura purred as he lowered his eyelids and smirked. “I'm always _hot and bothered_ around you.”

Was Bakura trying to turn him on even more? It was working!

“Anyway,” Bakura said airily, giving a mischievous smile, “it _is_ a good picture, isn't it?”

“Well of course it is! We're both hot and sexy! Our DVD cover will be the sexiest thing since... um...” Marik faltered, trying to figure a good comparison. “Uh, I don't know, what's sexier than sexy?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Bakura shrugged. He reached over and patted Marik's thigh gently. “But I think I'd rather we take a _different_ kind of photo, however.”

“Oh, you mean like we should take more pictures like that one together?” Marik asked, knowing full well that Bakura was thinking of something more lewd. Nonetheless, he liked the idea of getting more photos of the two taken. “Because we totally should, Bakura! We'll have to make a whole new scrapbook full of pictures of you and me!”

“Erm, yes. Let's go with that.” Bakura said distractedly and cleared his throat. “I don't see why not. I'm sure we'll have plenty of opportunities to do so.”

“Of course we will!” Marik whooped in the night air all around them. “Don't worry, no one else will see them except us! It'll be like our own private stash!”

Bakura chuckled. “Our fangirls would have a field day if they ever discovered it.”

“They have their fanart, they'll live!” Marik waved it off. “So we'll make our own private Thiefshipping album, Bakura!”

“I do like the sound of that.”

Marik winked at him and then turned the keys in the ignition once their seat belts were buckled. Of course the car got off to a rough start, but it wasn't long before the engine finally revved up. He let out a whoop, pumping a fist in the air.

“We're on our way!” Marik announced with glee. “Heigh ho heigh ho, it's off to Cairo airport we go!”

“Whoopee.” Bakura deadpanned, but was repressing a smile.

“I wonder if the others got to Detroit first.” Marik mused as he guided the car out of the parking lot and onto the road. “They'll probably ask where we were and what took us so long!”

Bakura shrugged, laying his arm across the door. “It won't be hard to come up with a reason as to why we're a little later than expected. Car trouble, flight delay, you getting us lost on the way, layovers, the list goes on.”

“Hahaha!” Marik said sardonically, catching Bakura smirking in response. “Well you're right, it could be all of those things at the same time!”

“Seems reasonable.” Bakura replied nonchalantly.

They drove along the road to the main highway, passing the rickety old sign that displayed the _**Cum Town**_ name. The name still made Marik snicker. A part of him wanted to tell Rex and Weevil, knowing that they would have a ball about it. But then again, he realized, this was going to be their little secret.

All of it.

It was definitely an unspoken rule that whatever happened in Cum Town stayed in Cum Town. Well, not really, they were definitely going to do things together outside of this place. But it was _their_ secret, nonetheless.

At the corner of his eye, he saw Bakura glaring at the rock that had the cartoony whale drawn onto it.

“Whose bloody idea was it to draw that stupid whale on that rock? Sod the hell off, you damned whale!” Bakura grumbled. He looked at it again as they passed, then pouted slightly. “Well, it could be worse, I suppose.”

Marik chuckled, making a mental note to add 'BAKURA SWORE AT A WHALE ROCK HERE' when he'd update the map. He liked that little drawn-on whale and wanted to name it Willy, but it didn't look like an Orca, so he settled for Bruce. Even if it wasn't a shark, either.

“What did that poor whale ever do to you, Bakura?” Marik teased.

“Piss off.” Bakura replied, but there was no heat behind the words.

As they went along the main highway, Marik glanced at his partner briefly. Bakura was staring straight ahead, his expression that of his signature scowl. It was a little hard to read him at times, especially with expression like that. But that was okay, he was used to it. That was just what Bakura did, he always came off as the type to hide his real feelings.

But Marik would never forget his smiles.

“Hey Bakura,” Marik said, breaking the silence.

“What.” Bakura replied in his usual manner, not looking at him.

“I know the sun isn't rising or setting, but there's something I always wanted to do.” Marik confessed with a grin.

“Let me guess, you want to drive the car off of a cliff and see what happens? After we were nearly killed just yesterday?” Bakura deadpanned with a snort. “Much like in many movies, or perhaps _Starsky and Hutch_? Because there's no bloody way I'm going to yell out 'yeehaw' while the car goes careening into the air.”

Marik blew a raspberry. Although that idea sounded funny and would make for a great video. Not to mention he liked the idea of Bakura dressing like a cowboy. He had to bring that up the next time they wanted to go to a costume party or just play dress up.

“Noooo, it's way nicer than that!” Marik crooned.

Now Bakura looked at him, his expression curious. “Okay, what is it?”

The visions played through his head and Marik grinned wider. He kept driving, but wasn't watching the road anymore. He was too busy watching his partner. Since it was dark and the only lights were the car headlights, the vision was dim, but Bakura's pale skin made up for it a little.

“You know how at the end of a lot of movies, the two leads drive off in their car or boat into the sunset, and they kiss while they do it?” Marik asked.

Bakura's eyes widened slightly and a light blush dusted his cheeks. “Are you suggesting we do that?”

“Yep!” Marik winked at him. “It would be a perfect final shot for our epic road trip movie, Bakura. We're driving off into the horizon, the camera at our backs, we kiss, and the camera pulls back before 'The End' appears on the screen!”

Lips quirking a little, Bakura chuckled. “That's actually one of your more appealing plans, Marik.”

“Hey! My plans are always appealing!” Marik pouted. But he was too glad that Bakura was into the idea to keep arguing. “Anyway, I'll tell you when!”

Humming in response, Bakura nodded.

It didn't take long for Marik to gain momentum, pick up speed, and put the car into cruise control. But he kept his hands on the wheel to emulate like he was still driving.

“Now!” He said above the engine.

Around the same time, the two leaned over toward each other. Marik struggled ever slightly because of his seat belt, but he frig he was going to do it! Their noses and cheeks bumped slightly as they tried to get into the right position. This proved a bit fruitless as their faces didn't quite align and the movement of the car didn't help.

With a rueful look, Bakura leaned back and Marik did too.

“O-kay, bad take!” Marik said, shaking his head. “Let's do it again! Epic road trip movie ending kiss scene, take two! Action!”

Although Bakura rolled his eyes, there was a smile tugging at his lips. Still driving, they leaned toward each other again and this time it was successful. They kissed, holding it for a few seconds, and then pulling back. Marik smiled and Bakura did too, savouring the moment.

Marik turned his attention back to the road, giving his partner a sidelong glance. “We finally got our perfect ending shot, Bakura.”

“We did indeed.” Bakura's voice was soft.

Taking one hand off the wheel, Marik reached toward Bakura's. Seeming to sense his intent, Bakura took his hand and they squeezed. They remained this way for a little while as they continued cruising down the main highway for their destination.


End file.
